The Ties that Bind
by Inuismyhomeboi
Summary: There had to be some logical reason for what was going on. I couldn’t possibly have gone back in time two hundred and sixty two years. It…it just doesn’t happen! At least not to anyone I knows knowledge. Last I checked, time travel was still impossible.
1. I

Hey all! HURRAY! Im back! that's right! All better! Though it was no fun to get there. I

was in the hospital for 9 days and saw about 20 some neurologists, had two spinal taps, an

MRI and a crazy annoying IV in my arm for 5 freaking days, which left an unusual looking

scar on my arm… im home now with about 4 different types of medication and the ever so

reassuring statement from those million doctors who woke me up at 7 in the fucking morning

to shine flashlights in my eyes that I will in fact, be ok. Anywho, that's beside the point. The

point is im typing again! And I have a new story!! Beauty and the Beast and A Place to Call

Home will continue and ill have the new chapters up soon, I just really wanted to get this one

up cause it struck me like a lightning bolt and I was thinking " omyfreakinggawd, its

brilliant!!". So, without further ado, here we go!!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura or any of the characters. I also do not own

any songs or quotes I may use through the course of this story. here, are you happy, crazy

domain peoples? GOOD! Now, we roll our eyes and keep on reading, that's what I do

anyways.

**The Ties That Bind**

_Kirralle Hazayaki_

It was fairly normal, as one would think, to window shop. Glancing at the items you can only

dream of having because your current salary could never pay for it much less pay for the rent

that's a week overdue. Jewelry studded the shops windows, beckoning paying customers

inside with their intimidating shine, clothes hung perfectly on mannequins that most of the

female population has, of late, strived to look like. They smiled coldly, their expressions

telling us that we could never look like them, even if we bought the clothes they wore. I

sighed and turned my gaze to the reflection that stared, equally depressed, back at me. Her

clothes were plain, nothing special. Some denim boot cut jeans and a hooded sweatshirt

from some random outlet store. Her hair, cut to a little below her chin was pinned behind her

ears with a couple of bobby pins and her bangs fell haphazardly in front of her face, which, in

all honesty, could be worth looking at if she actually tried. Her shoes, a pair of black

converse high tops from the late eighties, were tattered and worn, the tongues folded under

the laces, which she had wrapped around her ankles instead of laced and tied like a normal

human being. Though you couldn't see the tops of her shoes from under her jeans I knew

what they were like because the reflection was me. Sakura Kinomoto, 24 years old, just

another one of Japans minorities. Not worth a second glance walking up the street, but

pleasant enough to hold a conversation with if you could spare a moment from your oh so

busy life. I stared at the identical emerald green eyes in the reflection coldly and turned to

make my way down the street. Passing more commercial shops on my trek home, I came to

an abrupt halt when I realized the heavy flow of five-o-clock traffic barreling towards me at a

fast speed. I decided against trying to pick my way through the oncoming crowd and instead,

turned down a side street that I was fairly certain would lead me back to the main road

sooner or later.

I hadn't been down this street more than twice in my life. I was sure I had been down it

before though, because I distinctly remember the smell of rotting fish that came from the sushi

restaurant's Dumpster that sat precariously in the corner that connected the back of the

restaurant to a brick wall. I was in no hurry today however, so as soon as the smell of

decaying tuna had left my nostrils, I slowed down a bit and picked my way through some of

the odds and ends shops that hid themselves along alleys like this. One in particular caught

my eye, it boasted, in large, elegant letters, that it was an antiques shop. I myself was always

fascinated by these, bits of the past I thought of them. Each piece telling a story of sorts. You

just had to find out what the story was. I suppose I got this trait from my mother. She often

dragged me off to random markets during the summers and we would spend hours going

through and buying the most unusual things, be it for age or the sheer fact that we liked it. I

grinned lightly and pushed open the door, a bell dinging as the top of the door smacked

against it, announcing a customer. A young girl, about 16 or 17 looked up from the magazine

she was thumbing through and nodded as means of hello. I did the same and began to

browse the array of strange objects displayed randomly on tables. Making my way to a large

table covered in a powder blue cloth, I began running my fingers along the edge of it,

stopping when the tips of my fingers hit the bottom of a book. Looking up slightly from the

floor in which I was so preoccupied with, I smiled as a large variety of books fanned

themselves out before me. I ran my hand along the bindings and picked one up every now

and again, flipping through the pages occasionally, only to find that it was merely a very worn

and old copy of a modern, well, somewhat modern fiction novel.

One book however, caught my eye in particular. It had no title at all, but the book itself

was quite the sight. Small red and green jewels covered the books spine, whereas the front

and back covers were a sturdy black leather with a gold trim snaking its way along the outer

edge. The lower left hand corner on the back had a name engraved into it, Li Syaoran.

Traditional Japanese, last name first, but otherwise, this book was a complete mystery.

Highly intrigued, I gathered my things and the book and picked my way to the front counter

where the girl held a shocked expression. It must be a rare thing that somebody actually buys

something.

"How Much?" I asked, praying it was under twenty dollars, because that was

about all I had in my pocket. She shrugged and cracked her gum.

"Uhh…well, it doesn't look like its worth much. I'll sell it to you for two bucks." She said,

holding out her hand expectantly. I forked over the money and collected my book and bag.

"Thank you!" I called from behind me as I left the small room. She waved, but said nothing

as her attention was focused on the magazine.

I turned my attention to the darkening sky and frowned. A storm was rolling in and fast.

So, against my better judgment, I turned around and made my way back to the main road.

The traffic had cleared substantially and I managed to make my way back to the apartment

about ten minutes later. Fortunately too, because the sky seemed to grow darker and darker

with heavy black clouds and a steady rain had begun to fall by the time I reached the front

door to the apartment complex. I sighed tiredly and dropped my bag and the book on the

kitchen table, quickly pouring some water into a mug and shoving it into the microwave,

grabbing a package or Ramen noodles in the process. As the microwave whirred quietly, I

shrugged off my sweatshirt and pulled on the bottom of the tank top I was wearing

underneath, to get rid of some of the wrinkles that had set in during the day. I sat down on

one of the two rickety chairs that graced the lopsided table that sat in my kitchen and pulled

the book closer to me. I ran my fingers along the spine, turning it here and there, watching

the reflections the jewels cast on the table when held a certain way in the light. Thunder

began to roll outside and soon after, lightening tore its way across the sky, illuminating the

darkened rooms in the rest of the house for only a moment. I sighed at the fact that a good

storm would probably lead to power failure and began rummaging through drawers for

candles and matches. Returning from my hunt victoriously, I dropped a few candles and a

book of matches on the table, along with a flashlight and some batteries. Another crackling

boom and strikes of lightening echoed through the house. Yup, power outages were defiantly

in order. I retrieved the mug of soup from the microwave and returned to my seat, staring

out the kitchen window placidly, watching the lightning zip across the clouds in zigzag

patterns, a loud crack of thunder returning me to my senses. I set my half empty mug aside

pulled the book closer once more, this time cracking open the cover and flipping to a

random page, just to see what exactly its contents were. But no sooner had I opened the

book, the room had begun to shake.

"An earthquake?" I questioned, standing up and looking outside. Aside from a slight breeze,

the surrounding world was still. Then why on earth was my kitchen shaking so violently? I

gripped the table as the quaking grew worse and watched in fear as things began to fall from

the wall. One of those things being a shiny brass tea kettle that was hanging directly above

my head. It made its decent and stopped as soon as it met with the top of my head, sending

it crashing to the floor. I flung my hands to my head and sunk into the chair, listening intently

as a loud moaning began. It wasn't a siren, but I wasn't sure what it was exactly. Behind the

tears that had swelled over my eyes, it looked as if the book on the table was glowing a faint

orange hue. And it sounded as though the moaning was coming from the book itself. I

clasped my hands over my ears as the screaming grew louder and louder to the point where

my vision became blurry. Then everything went dark.

* * *

_**Mmkay. Chapter one! Hurrah! OOHH, what's that book doing?? Well, of course, I **_

_**know, but do you?(If you read the summary, im almost positive you know!!!!) Hehe. **_

_**This whole story was an inspired work, I have been **__**reading this book called**_

_**Outlander by Diana….something or other. But its **__**REALLLLLLYYYYY Good. I **_

_**mean seriously. It inspired me to write this. Plus, I've **__**always wanted to write a **_

_**story with a plot that had to do with this. **__** Anywho, Review and **_

_**tell me what you think! Oh, Yes, they are in Japan, but i am terrible at translating **_

_**american currency to yen. So when they say twenty bucks and two bucks and what **_

_**not, theyre paying with yen, i just suck at currency translations And as usual, until**_

_**next **__**time!**_

_**  
Ja!  
Kirra**_

_**(God, it feels good to say that again!)**_


	2. II

II. 

I slowly came back into consciousness, woken by some muffled footsteps and the creaking

of a door. None of the doors in my apartment creak, so I was fairly certain that I was

somewhere I shouldn't be. That and the smell. It was unfamiliar and quite unpleasant.

Something like the coppery tang of blood mixed with wood smoke and garlic. I heard the

padded footsteps make their way over to where I was perched and listened as a female

voice began to hum softly. She lifted my head and peeled something off of it. I hadn't

realized anything was on my head, but it yanked at my hairs and began to pound slightly,

making me wince against my will.

"Ahh, looks like somebody is coming to…" The voice mumbled. As she changed the thing

on my head out for a new one.

"Hmm. Still bleeding a bit…" she mumbled. Bleeding? I was bleeding? How come I didn't

feel it? I moved my hand to my eyes and sighed as my fingers met with a damp cloth. I pulled

it off and slowly opened my eyes, allowing them to adjust to the dim light, which was coming

from a fire. A young woman, I couldn't place how old really, stood over me with a bucket

and a red cloth, though I'm assuming the original color was something far different. She

smiled and put the bucket down next to her feet.

"Welcome back." She said with a slight grin. I frowned and blinked a few times in response.

She wore a black bodice and a billow sleeved shirt with a laced trim. Her skirt was a brown

suede like fabric and her hair was done up into a bun, held together with some black ribbon

and a few white flowers. An unusual outfit for such a time, I scanned my surroundings

curiously. Right from the get-go I realized something wasn't right. The room was not mine,

nor a hospitals. Thick wooden rafters lined the ceiling and wood paneling graced the rooms

walls, which were hung with assorted tapestries and paintings. The floor, from what I could

see, was of stone and the hearth in which the fire burned was rustic and should be quite

ancient, but looked but a few years old. I sighed loudly and pushed myself up onto my

elbows, shifting aside the numerous quilts I was buried under. That was a bad idea. My head

began to pound like a drum, sending me groaning and flopping onto my back. The girl in

front of me shook her head.

"Be careful, kid. You hit your head harder than you think." she sighed, grabbing my arm and

lifting me up slowly. To my surprise, the pain didn't return. She sat down in front of me and

placed a firm hand on my back, making sure I didn't tumble backwards.

"Where am I?" I muttered groggily. The expression I got from her was something I didn't

expect, and she laughed.

"Like you don't know. A tad bit of amnesia then, eh?" She asked. No…Amnesia wasn't it,

but I was completely confused.

"No… I just. Where am I? And who are you?" I said, my senses returning to me little by

little. The woman made a weird throaty sound, like she was scoffing in distaste and rolled her

eyes.

"Pretending you really don't know, Your in the castle of His Majesty, Dynast King Li.

And My name, though I've half the mind not to tell you, is Chiharu." She said with an air of

authority. His Majesty, Dynast King Li. Right. That explains everything.

"Right. The Li's have been gone for generations…you do know that right?" I said, recalling

everything I learned on the subject in tenth grade history. Her eyes grew wide and her small

lips formed an 'o' shape.

" How dare you? Just where is it that you hail from that doesn't fall under the Li Kingdom?!

I guess he was right about you being a spy!" She spat. It was my turn to form the 'o.

" A SPY?? Where on earth did your king get THAT half-assed idea?" I said, a bit to loudly,

because my head began to pound again. I threw my arms to the spot it hurt the most and

yelped in pain as I came in contact with a rather large gash running from the middle of my

head to the beginning of my neck. I pulled my hands away and frowned at the fact that my

fingertips were now slightly red.

"I found you lying unconscious on a pile of rocks. Pretty sharp ones at that. Your head was

bleeding pretty bad, and your arms were scratched up, kind of like you fell from the sky or

something, you were smack dab in the middle of them, the rocks I mean. Lucky you didn't

kill yourself. The King told me to bring you in and tend to your wounds. But only so's he

could question you when you woke up. We found yeh by the lake, so we only assumed you

came here to spy on us. So your tryin to tell us that your not…a spy. We find that very hard

to believe, kid." she said, crossing her arms over her chest. I nodded.

"Yes. I do. And I have a name." I mumbled. , folding my arms across my stomach.

"Oh you do, do you? I never would have guessed!" She gasped sarcastically. I frowned and

scoffed lightly. Chiharu sighed.

"Sorry. What's your name, kid?" she asked, I shrugged.

"Sakura. And I'm no kid, either. So I'd appreciate it if you would stop calling me that." I

sighed, shifting around so that my head could rest against the backboard of the bed

comfortably without sending a searing pain through my skull.

"Okay then, Sakura. So if you aren't a spy, what exactly are you doing here?" she queried,

tilting her head to one side and biting her bottom lip.

"Damned if I know. I don't even know where here is, much less how I got here." I stated,

rubbing my shoulder and realizing for the first time that I wasn't wearing what I originally had

on.

"Um, where are my clothes?" I asked, slightly startled at the white sleeveless chemise I had

on in place of my tank top and jeans. Chiharu frowned, a quizzical look spreading across her

face.

"You mean those things we found you in? Oh, they were…dirty, and quite unusual. So we

burned them." she said casually. Great. They burned my clothes. How terribly thoughtful of

them, now what the heck was I supposed to wear? I frowned, I suppose I would have time

to figure that out later.

"Now then. I suppose my asking wont help, so… since your up, I suppose you better meet

the king, he's been waiting a good three days now." She said standing up and grabbing some

bundles of cloth that were hanging over a chair that sat in the corner. I really hope that I

misheard her. I was actually praying that I did.

"Three…days?" I coughed out, a cold sweat breaking onto my forehead. The girl names

Chiharu nodded nonchalantly, as if it were nothing.

"Yea, you were out cold." She said, chuckling lightly. This had to be some sort of dream.

There was no other explanation for it. Either I was dreaming, which I was hoping I was, or I

was thrown into some parallel dimension, which I knew was impossible, so I was batting fo

r the dream.

"Put these on. Yeh can't very well go traipsing about the castle in your undergarments, now

can yeh?" she said, throwing the bundle of cloth at me and pointing me in the direction of a

screen in which I could change behind. I obliged grudgingly and slunk my way out of the

warm covers to the screen and proceeded to change. I came out a few minutes later wearing

a black layered skirt that touched the floor, some random brown slippers that were a size to

big for my feet, a white shirt much like that on Chiharu and a Black bodice that I had laced

loosely in the front to keep it from squeezing the air out of me. Chiharu nodded in approval

and focused her attention on my head. Whipping a comb out from somewhere inside her

shirt, she proceeded to brush out the massive amounts of tangles that had worked their way

into my hair, carefully avoiding contact with my scalp when she came to the gash.

"Why is your hair so short? Are you in hiding as a man or something?" She asked,

straightening out her bodice after tucking the comb away again. I coughed and shook my

head.

"Good Lord no. I just like it short is all." I said, staring at her with a, I was sure, rather

awkward expression. She shrugged and turned around.

"Follow me." she called simply. But before I would let her lead me anywhere, I had to ask

her something.

"Hey…what's the date?" I called, shuffling after her. She stopped to let me catch up and

scratched her chin.

"Ah, it's the twenty third of May…1745. Why?" My breath caught in my throat. 1745.

"Tha…That's not possible. Its 2007." I said shaking my head in disbelief. Chiharu laughed.

And laughed. What on earth was so funny?

"2007? Oh, that's rich. You must have hit your head harder than I thought. And I suppose

you can just up and travel through time almost 300 years into the future, can yeh? Hah!" She

mused, getting a kick out of my bewilderment. I however, was far from amused, I was

sacred. Terrified more like. How could I possibly be here? The last thing I remember was

opening that book, then the room began to shake. That…book. Maybe it had something to

do with it. But, it was impossible, there had to be some logical reason for what was going on.

I couldn't possibly have gone back in time two hundred and sixty two years. It…it just

doesn't happen! At least not to anyone I knows knowledge. Last I checked, time travel was

still rendered impossible.

* * *

The castle was huge. Living up to its expectations in every way. I was beginning to calm a bit 

after the freak realization that I had in fact, traveled back in time, and was now going through

that skepticism stage where I was constantly looking around for cords or wires, proving that

all of this was some sick joke. Alas, no cords. Not yet at least, for I had only seen about

two hallways and the main entrance to this massive structure. Nonetheless, I was far too

confused to take notice of everything and began to just let myself believe that I was actually

here, being led to meet the king by some batty woman in a bodice. She led me down a few

rather dark hallways, which would have been pitch black were it not for the candles fixed to

the walls every three inches or so. We came, at last, after several winding hallways and

equally dizzying flights of stairs, to a large…no, monstrous oak door, an intricate pattern of

swirls and bends carved into the dark wood. A black door knocker graced the middle of the

door while an equally dark handle sat, unnoticed, on the side. Chiharu knocked once and

opened the door, slowly, but I couldn't blame her, that door had to weigh a ton. Behind the

massive structure sat the biggest room I have ever seen. It was so…darned big and adorned

with…junk, that it would look to anyone who didn't know them that they were

compensating for something. In the middle of the room, far back against the wall, sat a huge

throne of sorts. Garnished with random cloths and pillows, the thing was huge and made of

concrete, or stone…I don't think concrete has been invented yet. Anyways, huge Black

orbs sat atop the pillars that were on either side of the seat, gleaming brilliantly in the

candlelight, which illuminated the whole room, unlike the hallways, where it was dim and

easy to stumble across nothing. To the right side of the room, large windows overlooking

hillsides and the rising sun graced the walls. Between each window, there were small end-

tables, each holding a candelabra. Black and Green cloths lined with a sort of gold acted as

a sort of curtain for the fixtures. The left side of the room was slightly less impressive. A large

table sat, papers askew everywhere, some even on the floor. And that was about it. There

was one large window, overlooking a lake, but that was about it, save for the smallish door

in the corner of the room, which led to God knows where. That door is however, where he

came from. The king, that is. He was tall, well taller than me at least, by a good three or four

inches. Brown hair sat sloppily on his head, which was partially covered by a black hooded

cloak. Under the cloak, he wore a green tunic of sorts, and brown pants, a small dagger at

his side and an even larger saber at the other. Gloved hands pushed back the hood, allowing

me to see his eyes, a strange yellowish brown. He grinned, white teeth showing for but a

moment.

"Ah…you must be the spy then…" he said, pulling off the brown leather gloves, one finger

at a time.

"Im not a spy." I said flatly, folding my arms across my chest. He nodded

"Sure you aren't." he said sarcastically, moving to lounge lazily in the throne-ish…thing. He

leaned his cheek on his fist and sighed.

"Chiharu, you can go. I want to talk with out little guest…alone if you don't mind." he said,

regarding me a little. I shrugged. Chiharu frowned, hoping she would hear a little juicy tidbit

from me and turned around in a slight huff, closing the door behind her. There was an

awkward silence for a few minutes before he shifted in his seat, leaning his elbows in his

kneed and folding his hands, hunching forward a bit.

"What's your name…for starters." He asked, finally deciding to say something.

"Sakura…" I stated, purposely leaving out my last name.

"Just Sakura, I don't like my last name…" I added when he eyed me speculatively.

"Ok then… And you just happened to be found, soaking wet, in the middle of some sharp

and rather painful rocks by my lake. Like you fell from the sky?" he asked, mocking me a

little bit. I frowned and darted my eyes to the side, focusing out the window that showed the

lake.

"Yea… that's about right." I sighed, not surprised in the least when he began to laugh.

"Yes…because that's so believable. No really, now, who sent you so that I can get about

killing you all the quicker." he sighed, like I was boring him.

"Ah…Nobody sent me! I am no spy, for anyone. I don't even know where I am or how I

got here. How on earth am I supposed to be a stupid spy when Im not even supposed to be

born for another 200 some odd years!?" I argued, my face flushing slightly. I could feel it

growing hotter and I became embarrassed, which didn't help my cause because it just made

me redder.

"Oh right. You supposedly came from the future. Okay, then tell me, Sakura, how did you

get here?" he said, crossing his arms and giving be that stupid grin again.

"I DON'T KNOW. I was in my kitchen, looking at a book I had bought from some

antiques store, and it was storming, which explains why I was wet, I got caught in the rain.

Anyways. I opened the stupid book and my kitchen started to freaking shake! Then the

book started to glow and I got hit in the head with a tea kettle. I blacked out and when I

woke up, I was here. That's all I know." I said, pacing back and forth. When I stopped, he

was staring at me.

"What?" I asked, placing my hands on my hips.

"you…your crazy. That is the most unbelievable story I have EVER heard. How do you

expect anyone to believe any of that!? You should be locked up somewhere." he said,

shaking his head. Great. So now I was mental. Maybe I would have been better off saying I

was a spy.

"Hey wait. The book I was looking at. It had a name on the back. Li Syaoran. That's you

isn't it??" I said, shaking a finger at him and placing my other hand on my chin, thinking

quickly.

" yes, that's my name. But everyone and their mothers know my name, if their in the western

kingdom." he sighed, rolling his eyes.

"But it was a weird book! It was black and had some crazy red and green jewels

embedded on the spine. And there was a gold line going around the side of the book.

Recognize it?" I asked, hoping I might get through to the boy. I think I did, because his eyes

grew wide.

"I knew it." he said under his breath. He hopped up from the seat and ran behind the little

door, coming back a few seconds later with a rather beefy fellow who looked something like

a bouncer for a club.

"Take her to the dungeons. She's a spy." He said, narrow eyes glaring at me. Oh crap.

* * *

_**Wooo. That was a large chapter. Six pages on a word document!! Anywho, thought**_

_**this was a pretty good chapter! Hope you liked it! Review and tell me what you think! And, **_

_**until Next time! **_

_**JA!**_

_**  
Kirra**_


	3. III

_**Okay, lil quick authors note here. Someone asked if Sakura was going to be cold through **_

_**the entire story. NO. She is not cold, really, just opinionated and she was depressed in the **_

_**first chapter, you'll find out why later. Two…why did Syaoran jump to such a **_

_**conclusion?? Well, if you were the ruler of a kingdom and one day some chick randomly **_

_**shows up on your doorstep with a crazy story as to how she got there, and then reveals **_

_**something she shouldn't know, you'd be a bit suspicious too eh? He wasn't necessarily **_

_**being mean, he was just doing what he thought best for the kingdom. So, they're both at **_

_**somewhat of an impasse, huh? Oh, and just to make this clear, I have NO idea what **_

_**Medieval Japan looks like, however I do have some sense of Medieval England, so that is **_

_**what I am making my 1700's Japan like. England. WOO!! Anywho, just thought I would **_

_**clear those three things up ;. On with the story!**_

III.

Two days. That's how long I've been in this stupid cell. Its cold, dark and smells like old cabbages.

Toss in the regular rats scavenging for food and the disturbing bodily functions of the odiferous beast

of a man in the cell next to you, who seems to be having severe bowel movements…and hey,

you've got yourself the medieval Ritz-Carlton. Well…slightly less accommodating than the Ritz…

and it lacks any form of cleanliness, but what the heck do you expect from a dungeon?

Monogrammed towels?

I've discovered, in my stay here, that the flatulent man next to me is called Takashi._(A/N: _

_hmmm….I seem to have a thing against Takashi ;) _He's about six feet tall and ten tons of fun.

However, he is a darn good poker player and when he is not reeking up the place, can be a great

conversationalist. He will also opt to eat anything you don't want to once your meal arrives, Which

is the same thing every day; some slightly aged meat of sorts, potatoes, leeks and a tall glass of

murky brown water. Bon appetite. Me being allergic to leeks, gratefully forks 'um over to Takashi

three times a day, smiling at the fact that he gets such a kick out of a bit more food. But I cant blame

him, the boy though big as a house, looked famished and had a sickly green tinge to his skin, he

probably needed the extra food. Takashi had been in here since last May, on the charges of

attempted thievery of cattle and the slaughtering of a boar that lived in the kings forest. Which, I

suppose was illegal. He really wasn't to blame…kind of. You see, his family, them being a wife and

three children all younger than 10, aren't the richest in the land… they're more like poor farmers.

When there was an outbreak of Mad Cow Disease at his home, he was desperate enough to

attempt to take a few from the kings barns. He has about ten dozen of them, so a few really

wouldn't go unnoticed. And the boar thing was totally understandable seeing as it was attacking, or

trying to, attack the family dog, who is somewhat elderly and has a litter of pups. It was hungry…

but unfortunately for it, the family was hungrier. Because Takashi and his wife were planning on

selling a few of the litter for some extra cash, Takashi took it into his own hands to rid the land of

the wild boar. So he did. And got thrown in the slammer for it. I concluded that his story was a bit

more believable than my own, but still held high in much of the kingdoms ' that's a load of farce'

category. I think mine still ranked higher. Today, during our afternoon lunch, the king decided to

grace us with his presence. However, something was different about him. He strode over to my cell

all high and mighty, sat down on the grimy floor and smiled.

"You must be Sakura. Nice to meet you finally. I only wish the conditions were a bit better." he

said, his eyes scanning the cell.

"Ah! Takashi, how are you fairing then? I thought they let you out weeks ago." he said puzzled.

"Hello there, Li. I've got some stomach problems…but otherwise fine. Sakura is good company…"

he said through a mouthful of potatoes. And thus, I became very confused, very fast. It must have

showed because the man in front of me laughed heartily.

"Oh…I'm sorry. That had to be awkward. I am Li Xio-lan. But please, just call me Li…first name

bugs me a bit. I am the kings twin brother." Oh great. He's a twin. I don't see where I have to

worry too much though, this one seemed more likely to listen and much friendlier than his cranky

king of a brother.

"Ah. That clears things up." I said, choking down a piece of meat. He nodded.

"Yes, quite, I should presume. Anywho. My brother has told me your story. And I-"

"You think I'm freaking bug-nuts, don't you." I finished, rolling my eyes and stuffing another forkful

of potatoes in my mouth.

"Um…I'm not familiar with that term, but no…I was going to say that I think I am the only one that

actually believes you. You see, I saw you fall… I was in the stables, preparing to leave when it

happened. Quite a sight I must say…" he said, staring off at the wall as if reliving a flashback.

Shaking his head quickly, he smiled awkwardly and stood up, brushing whatever might be on his

bottom, off.

"Well. I'm trying to arrange for you to be let out but it may take a few more days. As for you

Takashi-" he said, turning to face him.

"I'll have a talk with my brother and his stupid henchmen...see why it is your still here. You should

be comfortably back in your home, with your family, no later than Tuesday. If not, call for me and

I'll roll some heads, got it?" he said, laughing slightly and making Takashi grin.

"Thank you, Li. I'd appreciate it greatly. Tell Syaoran I said hello." he concluded, returning to his

meal. "Will do. Till then!" he said, bowing his head and turning to leave. I watched as the door

swung shut behind him and sighed.

"Now why in the name of God isn't he king?" I asked, turning to Takashi. He looked up and

smiled.

"He doesn't want to be. You see. They may be twins, but their personalities are different. Syaoran

is far more geared for ruling. He knows when leniency is in order and when to take action, doesn't

let stupid emotions or worries tie him down and has, in fact, been the best ruler we've had in

decades. He is however, slightly forgetful of things that aren't of immediate importance, hence the

reason I am still here, and can be quite a stiff sometimes, but he means well, and if you get to know

him, really isn't a bad guy." he said. I stared at him, jaw agape. That made him grin.

"On the other hand. Li…he would make a terrible king. You see, he, granted, is a people person,

but is TERRIBLE at making hasty decisions, especially when peoples lives are on the line. He is

terribly compassionate…I mean, the guy feels sorry for the kingdom we're battling, and would

rather spend the day sleeping, or writing, or riding horseback, than controlling all the hubbub of a

kingdom. He is however, the kings main negotiator. Terribly good at convincing people and creating

loopholes, he is." Takashi said definitely, sliding his empty plate under the bars and leaning back

against the rock wall. I sighed, stuffing the last bit of food into my mouth and discarding my plate in

the same manner. It made sense, if you thought about it. But my stomach was doing flips and I

couldn't think of much else but why on earth indoor plumbing wasn't invented sooner. We, that

being Takashi and I, have concluded that it is the nasty water that has caused us this terrible spell of

Montezuma's Revenge. Because, it wasn't until I had begun to drink this water, that I too have been

scooting to the corner every five minutes to relieve myself of the churning pains in my stomach. Li

came back today, this time with a ring of keys. He unlocked my cell first, than Takashi's and smiled.

"Okay then. Takashi, you my friend, are free to go!" he said clapping him on the back.

"Really? Oh thank you! Risa will be ecstatic!" he said, jumping for joy. I smiled and laughed a little

at the fool he was making of himself, but I don't think he cared in the least. He turned to me next

and bent down, sliding his hand through the bars, grasping mine firmly and giving it a good shake.

"Thank you Sakura. T'was a pleasure being in your company, no matter the awful conditions." He

added on with a chuckle. I nodded and smiled at him.

"You as well. Take care of yourself, got it?" I said, eyeing him. He nodded and with a smile that

could probably outshine the sun, he not-so-gallantly made his retreat from the dank cells. Li turned

to me next, moving into the cell and pulling me to my feet.

"Now we…are going to stand before the king and work our butts off until he is convinced that you

are in fact who you say you are." he smirked, taking my hand and leading me from the cell.

"But first, I think you need to get cleaned up." he said, scrunching his nose.

"Bless you, sweet stranger." I sighed.

* * *

Syaoran looked at us with tired eyes. His head leaning against the back of his hand, a faint trace of

tears left in his eyes from yawning.

"So… you woke me up to…what? Convince me that she really is from the future. You do know its

nigh impossible to convince me of such an atrocious idea?" he said, shifting a bit and burying the

bottom half of his legs under the numerous pillows that graced the throne-ish seat thing. I refused to

call it a throne…it was just too…odd to be that. Li sighed and nodded his head.

"Yes, those are our intentions. And you forget, brother, that I have a knack for being VERY

persuasive." he smirked. I crossed my arms and sighed, waiting for my turn to talk. Li had made a

point to make me look somewhat presentable to better our case. So, today, instead of what I came

here in, I had on a brownish layered peasant skirt, a white bodice, laced loosely once again, over a

white, billowed shirt that hung loosely over the sides of my shoulders. A black necklace and some

black ribbon adorned my neck and my hair was brushed back and left to fall where it may, figuring

it was so short, not much could be done with it. I stared blankly at the wall, probably looking

somewhat retarded and nearly screamed when Li elbowed me in the ribs, signifying my turn to talk.

I explained my situation again, going over all the details of where I had come from, how I had come

across the book, and how on earth I got here. Then, Li came in.

"I saw her fall. Remember the night we found her it was storming? Well, that was also the night I

was going to the eastern kingdom to do some 'negotiating' with Xiao-Tzu. I was in the stables,

readying my horse, when I noticed the sky had turned an unusual hue of orange. Probably a similar

color the book was glowing on Sakura's side. Then, as if by magic, a flash of lightening struck and

I saw her appear out of nowhere, fall through the sky and land on the rocks. I thought she had fallen

in the lake and would make her way out on her own, but I suppose I was wrong. It was I, after all,

who called upon Chiharu and Eriol to investigate. I wouldn't of done it if I did not think it was

important. And when have I ever lied to you, brother? Never. So take my word this time, the girl

tells the truth." Wow. He was persuasive. If I was king, or…queen, I suppose, I'd believe him, and

I am not a very gullible person. Syaoran sighed and placed a hand over his eyes.

"Dammit, brother. Why do I find it so easy to trust you?? FINE! The girl is telling the truth, as of

now, she is no longer a prisoner, or hostage, but a guest. Welcome" he growled.

* * *

_**NOOO! He doesn't believe him. Still. Although that man IS persuasive, eh? And poor **_

_**Takashi. So big, so beastly, so alone. Oh well, at least he got to go home. Um, he might **_

_**make a cameo later, but as for the rest of the story, that was it for him. A quick part as a **_

_**prisoner.. And that's all Risa got to, an honorable mention . Youll see more of Tomoyo **_

_**and Eriol. Don't worry! And I will make Syao warm up to Sakura, I pwomise. So until **_

_**next time!**_

_**Ja!**_

_**  
Kirra**_


End file.
